US Lawmakers Urge Sanctions on Senior Pakistani Officials Over Alleged Human Rights Abuses
Washington, The Gulf Observer: Forty-four Democratic members of the US House of Representatives have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose immediate sanctions on senior Pakistani officials, citing what they described as an “escalating campaign of transnational repression and a worsening human rights crisis in Pakistan.”
The initiative is led by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Greg Casar, and includes signatures from Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib—both known for their advocacy on Muslim and human rights issues.
According to the letter, released publicly on Wednesday, the lawmakers urged targeted measures such as visa bans and asset freezes on officials allegedly responsible for threatening US citizens and residents who criticise Pakistan’s military establishment, as well as retaliatory actions against their families in Pakistan.
There has been no immediate response from Pakistan’s Foreign Office or its embassy in Washington.
The lawmakers asserted that certain Pakistan officials have “weaponised state power to jail political opponents, intimidate citizens abroad, and crush democratic freedoms.” First Pakistan Global—a rights group sympathetic to the PTI—distributed the letter.
The document noted that US citizens and residents who have spoken against “authoritarian abuses” in Pakistan have faced intimidation, threats, and harassment, with such actions often extending to their families in Pakistan. These tactics, the lawmakers claimed, include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence targeting journalists, activists, and diaspora individuals.
The letter highlighted what it described as a deepening authoritarian climate in Pakistan, citing the detention of opposition leaders without charge, harassment and forced exile of journalists, and arrests of ordinary citizens for social media activity. It also stated that women, religious minorities, and marginalised ethnic groups—particularly in Balochistan—face disproportionate repression.
Lawmakers referenced specific incidents, including the alleged abduction of the brothers of Virginia-based investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani following his reporting on military corruption.
Concerns were also raised about irregularities in the 2024 elections, echoing earlier remarks from the US State Department calling for a full investigation.
The letter urged the Biden administration to consider Global Magnitsky sanctions, visa restrictions, and asset freezes against officials “credibly involved” in systematic repression. It also called for the release of former prime minister Imran Khan and other political prisoners.
To bolster congressional oversight, the lawmakers submitted five detailed questions to the State Department related to sanctions criteria and protection measures for US residents facing threats against their families abroad. A response has been requested by December 17, 2025.
Earlier this year, more than 50 lawmakers introduced the “Pakistan Freedom and Accountability Act” (HR 5271), seeking legal sanctions on individuals accused of undermining democracy in Pakistan. The bill is currently pending before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
